Singer Witnesses Murder

08/01/07.

(antiMusic) Enuff Z'nuff frontman Donnie Vie recently testified at a preliminary hearing against his landlord who is accused of murdering his girlfriend. Vie said that on the day of the murder that the accused had waved a loaded gun at him and victim and that he saw her body after the murder.

David Mahler, 43, is accused of murdering Kirstin "Chrissie" Franya Baldwin, 38, and dumping her body in a ditch near Barstow where it was found 20 days later. He is also charged with assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly threatening Vie, real name Donald Van Develde.

Vie testified that he was at his landlords apartment before the murder when an angry Mahler pulled out a gun. "He was pointing it around, clicking it everywhere," Vie said. "He clicked it at me, he clicked it at her." Los Angeles NBC station reports that " As he was leaving, [Vie] shut the bedroom door and heard what he thought was the sound of a gun shot."

He later returned to Mahler's apartment and saw what he believed to be Baldwin's body under a blanket. "It looked like it could be covering a body or something," Vie said. "I seen a hand sticking up at the top of the bedspread and I stared at it for a minute or two and nothing moved."

When questioned by Mahler's attorney and asked why he didn't report the murder right away, Vie responded, "The way I'd grown up, you just don't rat people out. Also, under the circumstances, had I done that, I had no idea what could happen."

Vie retired from touring in 2002 but is currently working on a studio album, "Lost in Vegas," with Enuff Z'nuff. He also recently finished a new solo recording entitled "Extra Strength" which is a acoustic rerecording of Enuff Z'nuff critically acclaimed 1991 album "Strength".

You can read a lot more about the case and Vie's testimony here http://www.knbc.com/news/13599297/detail.html?taf=la